The authority to conduct a market inquiry is derived from the Section 18 of the competition Act no 12 of 2010. The Authority may be obligated to conduct a market inquiry following legislative requests or in response to concerns raised by the general public and where there is reasonable grounds to suspect a restriction or distortion of competition.

Upon conclusion of a market inquiry, the results inform policy consideration on issues that have an adverse effect on competition, inform consumers, and encourage public debate on competition and consumer welfare concerns.

Inquires enable the Authority conduct an investigation to identify violations of the Competition Act and apply remedies – administrative penalties or criminal sanctions -- or initiate advocacy initiatives.